The mercury's rising and air conditioners are cranking, increasing demand for electricity in the region.

Lehigh Valley and New Jersey electric utilities have been taking steps to prepare for summer and keep customers cool during the steamy months ahead.

PPL Electric Utilities is installing smart grid equipment across its 29-county service territory as well as trimming trees, building new power lines and substations.

The smart grid equipment allows PPL to remotely detect power outages more quickly and deploy crews to fix problems, said Sarah Fliszar, regional director of operations. If a branch lodges into the system during a summer storm, the equipment automatically will open up twice to try to dislodge it. The device can automatically detect what's wrong and tell a repair crew where to deploy, she said.

Summer heat tips

Close drapes and blinds on the sunny side of your home.

Set your air conditioner's thermostat as high as is comfortable and use a programmable thermostat. Each degree you can increase your home's temperature by will result in using about 3 percent less energy on the hottest summer days.

Use fans.

Only operate window units when someone is in the room.

Close rooms you don't use regularly in the summer and close the air conditioning vents.

Keep you fridge and freezer as full as possible because it takes less energy to maintain a lower temperature.

Avoid using heat-producing appliances during the hottest hours of the day.

Invest in Energy Star appliances or HVAC systems.

Check you furnace filter and change it.

Source: First Energy Corp.

"It is a big step up in providing more reliable service," Fliszar said in Bethlehem today as a crew replaced an old device with the smart grid on Pine Top Hill Drive.

Since 2012, customers in areas where smart grid technology is used have seen 38 percent fewer outages, she said.

The improvements come as temperatures are forecast to hit 91 on Wednesday in Easton, Bethlehem and Phillipsburg, according to the National Weather Service.

Electricity comes into very high demand once the temperatures rise, so much of the spring is spent ensuring lines are in good condition and trees are clear, utilities report.

In 2013, the number of power outages reported in PPL's service territory was down 9 percent compared to the average of the past three years. Tree-related outages were down 43 percent, Fliszar said.

Jersey Central Power & Light recently made reliability upgrades in portions of Warren and Hunterdon counties as part of its 2014 investment of $251 million into infrastructure improvements, spokesman Ron Morano said.

The company just completed upgrades on two major circuits serving 3,000 customers in Alexandria, Bethlehem, Franklin and Union townships in Hunterdon, he said. Work includes replacing cross arms, lightening arresters, fuses and animal guards. Warren County saw similar work in Allamuchy, Blairstown, Franklin, Hardwick, Independence, Knowlton and Mansfield townships, Morano said.

"This helps to limit the frequency and duration of power outages," Morano said.

JCP&L recommends customers with private wells and life support equipment complete an authorization so the company can put them on special lists. Those who depend on electricity to operate wells will be notified if a power outage is expected to affect electrical service for more than 24 hours, Morano said. Those using life support devices will be added to critical care customer lists.

Metropolitan Edison also said it's prepared to meet summer demand.

"FirstEnergy is not anticipating any significant issues with this week's heat – PJM, the regional power pool has ample supplies of electricity and we are confident that we'll be able to meet our customers' demand for electricity," Met-Ed spokesman Scott Surgeoner said.